YOPEY has won £3,000 by coming third out of over 300 UK charities in a competition put on by a major insurance company. This award follows many others over the years.
Zurich Municipal, the public and voluntary sector insurer, in partnership with the Z Zurich Foundation, launched its ‘Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion’ awards earlier this year to recognise the pivotal role that charitable organisations play in shaping society so that everyone feels valued and included, regardless of their background.
Not-for-profit organisations were invited to enter online and share what they do to celebrate diversity and inclusion.
More than 300 charitable organisations entered the awards, and a panel of judges reviewed applications for innovation, impact, sustainability and scalability. The aim is for other charities to learn from the winners’ initiatives and potentially apply these within their own organisations.
YOPEY came third behind Spark Inside, which supports young black and mixed heritage men in prison, providing a safe and empowering space for them to express themselves and reclaim their identities, and The Birth Partner Project, which supports pregnant women seeking sanctuary or asylum.
Spark Inside came first, winning £10,000, while The Birth Partner Project came second, winning £5,000.
YOPEY came third winning £3,000 for its intergenerational community partnerships between schools and care homes. YOPEY’s initiative inspires, trains and supports teenagers to befriend care home residents, many of whom have dementia.
Five other charities were highly commended, receiving £1,000 each. They were Strut Safe, Afrikindness, ABC to Read, Communitea Spaces and Whizz Kidz.
Tony Gearing MBE, the founder of YOPEY, said: “It’s wonderful that Zurich Municipal, an insurance giant, has recognised the work and value of YOPEY, a small charity with big ambitions. This cash prize will help us to rebuild our partnerships between care homes and sixth-forms after the pandemic.”
Anne Constant, Head of Performance and Change at Zurich Municipal, commented: “Charitable organisations play such a crucial role in shaping our society and quite often make a huge impact with very limited resource and budget. We designed the awards so they could honour all the amazing initiatives that charitable organisations do to help promote inclusivity and celebrate diversity within communities. We’re proud to celebrate this with them and offer financial grants to enable them to do even more great work.”
Tony added: “YOPEY certainly has very limited resources and budget. We have only one employee and a handful of adult volunteers recruiting, training and supporting hundreds of young people to ease the loneliness of elderly people living in care homes. About two-thirds of the elderly our YOPEY Befrienders visit have dementia which increases their isolation and can lead to them being abandoned by their families.
“However, we were also humbled to be rated alongside other charities, some of which are working in really challenging circumstances.”
